I came across this cool modern hostel located in Reykjavik, Iceland over at Dwell. This new hostel concept has been an instant hit with locals & tourists. There are dorm style rooms as well as private rooms with private bathrooms. I am fascinated by its eclectic Americana style. The owner/designer has collected vintage American furniture and accessories over time. Then they had the pieces shipped overseas to furnish and decorate the hostel. The results are warm and welcoming! Take a look :)

Architectural Digest has posted on its website pictures of the updated Bel-Air Hotel designed by Alexandra Champalimaud & David Rockwell. It's not like I new what it looked like before, but it looks fabulous now :)  I would love the opportunity to stay in one of the suites or have dinner at the Wolf Gang Puck restaurant or maybe just a drink by the pool. Enjoy the photos!

If you gravitate toward color and want to incorporate it into your décor, the best way is to add a pop of color. First start with the a neutral palate. Your essentials: sofa, chairs, end tables, dining table, and wall color should all be neutral. That doesn’t mean they all need to be beige. Neutrals can be black, white, grey, tan, taupe, brown, metals, wood finishes. etc. Then choose your pop of color. This can be a trendy color that appeals to you or a color that always makes you smile. Incorporate your pop of color into your space through art work, pillows, rugs, accent furniture, and accessories. You don't need to cover every surface with your color. You will want to distrubute the color sparingly. Take a look a the following interiors to see great examples of adding a pop of color to neutral rooms.

Most people gravitate towards decorating in neutrals because its safe. This is so true, but if its not done well it can be dull and lifeless. Usually it comes down to texture and contrast. You can create lots of drama with neutrals as long as you mix it up. One example would be to mix darker shades like grays, blacks, and browns with warmer shades like tans, creams, and beiges. Another example would be to use bright whites mixed with tans and browns. Mix up the texture too: wood finishes, metal, natural materials, fabrics, etc. Check out these fabulous neutral spaces.

Source: Elle Decor Look Book

I found some great examples of ikat fabrics at House Beautiful. Each of the spaces incorporated a touch of this on trend pattern. Take a look, the results are superb!

Ikat is popping up everywhere we look. What exactly is ikat? Ikat is a dying process where the threads are dyed before the fabric is woven. It is not known where it originated, but many South American cultures, as well as, Asian cultures have produced this fabric. Today designers have developed a new appreciation of ikat and as a result we can shop for ikat just about anywhere. Here are some trendy examples of ikat:

Shop:
Ikat Medallion Drum Lampshade, www.etsy.com/shop/StudioJota
Ikat Curtain Panel, www.westelm.com
Ikat cereal bowl, www.cwonder.com
Seaton Chair in Malibar Coral Ikat fabric, www.ballarddesigns.com
Pillows by DwellStudio, www.laylagrace.com
Company C wool rug Yuri, www.laylagrace.com

Great art can make a space. Art can either be the focal point of a room or it can accent a mood set by other elements in the room. Elle Décor featured a roundup of winter art fairs. If you happen to live in Southern California or New York, you are in luck since this list features art fairs in these regions. However, if you are not near one of these fairs, check out your local galleries and see if they know when an event may be taking place in the community. Even if you don’t intend to purchase, you can still take away inspiration and cultural awareness for what is going on in contemporary art. Have fun browsing :)

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It seems like we are seeing more and more splashes of gold in interior spaces. The nice thing about adding gold is it acts like a neutral to other colors, meaning you can blend it easily with any other pop of color. You can also add it with silver. Don’t think its all or nothing, Silver or Gold. You can have both. Just be sure to have either the silver and/or gold repeat itself at least three times in the room. Below is an assortment of gold accessories that are readily available to add to your room. I am most fond of the china, especially the Haviland. It is available in many colors with the gold band, this allows you to easily mix it into your space. It is a little pricey, but you don’t need to buy a 5 piece place setting for eight, just a serving platter or set of teacups works. The gold pillows are an easy and inexpensive way to add this trendy metallic. Mix them in with your existing pillows or create a new composition of a few gold patterned pillows and a few non-gold pillows, just don’t have only gold pillows - it will look like you read a design blog or magazine and went to the store to buy the newest trend and just threw it on. Be sure to mix it up.

For the DIY’ers - I like DIY to an extent. As long as it doesn’t look like you did it yourself :) A couple of gold tools: Krylon metallic glossy gold spray paint & gold leaf pens. Use the glossy metallic spray paint to change any old décor item. You can spruce up a frame or furniture with the gold leafing pen. These products are relatively inexpensive. If the project looks like you did it, i.e., paint drips, colored out of the lines, etc., my advice is to scrap the project. No one needs to know you are on a budget - be sure your creations look as though you could have purchased them :)

Sources:

Gold Faux Deer Headmount, Available on www.etsy.com  @ LucyHaus, $150.00
Gold Dupioni Silk Pillow Cover, Available on www.etsy.com  @ anitanirma, $24.50
Fontana Bowl, www.jonathanadler.com , $198.00
Meurice Square Table Lamp, www.jonathanadler.com , $325.00
Morrocan Gold Foil Pillow, www.roomservice.com, $65.00
Gold Stars Foil Pillow, www.roomservice.com, $65.00
Michael Wainwright "Truro" Gold China, www.bloomingdales.com, $84.00 - $498.00
Haviland “laque de chine” Gold Brick China, www.bloomingdales.com,  $63.00 - $1,524.00
Diane von Furstenberg Night Collection Flatware, www.dvf.com,$105.00
Alessi Cactus Bowl, www.bloomingdales.com, $130.00
Michael Aram Gold Pear Salt and Pepper Shakers, www.bloomingdales.com $99.00
Michel Aram Tortise Goldplated frame, www.bloomingdales.com, $119.00

I spotted this picture of the oh so fashionable Sarah Jessica Parker on People.com. This outfit looks great on SJP and I could see that it could easily translate to a chic interior space. Most of the outfit is neutral, however, there are a few textures that are layered - this is the key to successful neutral interiors. Then you have this bright POC (pop of color). You could use just about any pop of color with this outfit/interior and have it look fabulous - maybe a smokey purple or a navy blue or a bright yellow?

Pillow: Bora Da Pillow, Designed by Donna Wilson, $115.00, available through www.dwr.com
Vase: Limited -Edition Greca Vase, Designed by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, $395.00, available through www.dwr.com
Pendant Light: Coral Pendant, $500.00 available at www.dwr.com
Sofa: Jackson Leather Sofa, Bison White, available at www.roomandboard.com
Rug: Thatch, Heathered Grey, available at www.dwr.com
Chair: Chloe Chair, Vance Indigo, $799.00, available at www.roomandboard.com
Martini: Cosmopolitan Martini - So SJP!